In-between stage #1 - mobility
Leo is really a great walker already and has started to try to run even, however a lot of times he trips over his own feet which most of the time he thinks is funny...and then he lays there waiting for you to tickle him. He is slowly getting the idea of climbing and does really well on stairs, although there are none in our apartment so he doesn't get to fine-tune those skills too often...but he has started to climb on little things around here.
With all that being said, Leo just still isn't mobile enough for me to let him loose. I know- I'm a helicopter mom or whatever it is called...so sue me. But really, he isn't old enough or mobile enough to just let him walk on his own everywhere. For starters he loves wheels...loves them. He simply can't resist them actually. So if he gets down at a store, he goes straight for the wheels of the cart...and not just my cart, anyone's cart or display or mop bucket. And he wants to lay down on the floor to play with them too...and the poor kid just doesn't get that you can't lay on wal-mart's floor and play with dirty shopping cart wheels! Parking lots are fun too...you can just imagine that the kid's hands are always black! And going to the park is a favorite since Leo whines to go "buh-bye" and actually sheds tears when I make him come inside, however when we get there he is too little to climb on the equipment and so he just tries to eat mulch or wants to play with our stroller wheel. Sigh. Not so much fun. So while I am grateful for this stage, the whole independent plus still baby-esque thing is just a little trying.
In-between stage #2 - eating
Oh moms all over the world can sympathize with this one right? Leo is too old for baby food and prefers to feed himself, naturally. However with only a few little chompers and not enough coordination to use a utensil yet, finding foods that he can eat is a bit challenging. Something he can feed himself but can't be too small that it needs a spoon...and lets try to be healthy...and some sort of variety would be nice. I dream of the day when Leo will just eat what we eat, which granted he does a lot of the time...but it seems like there is always a significant portion that doesn't meet his criteria and I am searching the cupboards for something other than graham crackers to supplement his dinner... 'cause let's face it, the boy can eat! And if we are being honest here, Leo isn't too terrible most of the time to let us feed him with a spoon, however then we don't get to eat (or fold laundry or mop or whatever other fun task I have left for when he is locked up in his highchair!) Plus I swear he eats the same things over and over- not because he won't eat anything else but because I just don't know what to feed him!
So there you go- there is my ranting for the day. I have a lot of other in-between stages, however they don't seem to bother me quite as much. These are the two biggies that I struggle with every day. So if anyone wants to come feed my child for a day, please do it! (While you are at it you could feed us too...I am seriously out of dinner ideas- I feel like we eat the same thing and I'm tired of fixing dinner every single day! I need some motivation but it just isn't fun to cook with a toddler at your heels.) In any case, none of us are starving and so life goes on!
3 comments:
Although I am glad we are having another baby, this post nails one of the hard parts -- going back to babyhood! It has been so nice having it where my youngest child is old enough to be independently mobile (only excepting long excursions when she may get tired), totally able to eat with everyone else, never mind potty-trained and sleeping all night. Sigh. I promise the day really will come when Leo will do all of those things. In the meantime, hang in there!
And amen to the tired-of-cooking bit. I am right there with you! (I mean, minus the toddler.)
Great job on the Vday card by the way - you all look great!
So I may be mis-remembering what a one-year-old diet is really like, but I think Evie was eating most of what we would eat for dinner at that age. She didn't have many teeth, but I'd just cut up the chunks of chicken, and give her the noodles or cooked veggies or fruit or whatever we were having. What I DO remember though is that it was MESSY - because she was just using her hands. She had a blast. She ate most fruits (banana, orange chunks, berries, watermelon, peaches, etc.) and most cooked vegetables (peas, carrot pieces, corn, broccoli, beets, etc.). Some things are harder to feed a little one... but if we were having mashed potatoes for dinner I would bake one for her to cut it up in chunks instead.
I feel like it was much harder for me to come up with exciting lunch ideas, because she couldn't just eat a sandwich. So then I tried to switch things up with the grain (try bread, bagel, crackers, english muffin, pancakes) and the protein (deli meat pieces, peanut butter, eggs, cheeses, etc.). I'd also try to buy new and exciting fruits/veggies to expose her (and us!) to. It made cooking a little more challenging/exciting. It helped that I had a local grocery store where all the produce looked AMAZING and tempted me to try new things.
Oh, and whole apples are awesome at feeding AND distracting a little one. They mostly gnaw on it and can't get much, but it's pretty exciting.
Sorry if you weren't looking for advice exactly, but I hope this gives you some ideas? Ruts/transitions are definitely hard, and a totally normal (yet frustrating) part of motherhood. You can do it!
Leo is so cute! I definitely laughed out loud reading this post. It makes me happy to see that you have such a positive attitude about it all :)
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